Italy: Visit To The Pescheria

Imagine living in a town that doesn’t have a Costco or a BJ’s. 600 rolls of toilet paper? For what?! No, the Italians like to keep things simple and easy. When it comes to food, you can add “fresh” to that criteria list as well.

When families decide it’s time to cook tilapia, they head to the local market to pick up some capers, lemons, and olive oil and then visit the Pescheria to select a few pieces from that morning’s catch.

Most Pescherias are only open in the A.M.. If you came across one that was still serving customers in the early afternoon, you wouldn’t have many options to choose from. It’s understood that the early bird catches the worm… err… the fish.

Of course, this lifestyle is also influenced by the small spaces most families call home. You aren’t going to come across a double-wide Viking anywhere in the Amalfi Coast. Because they don’t stock up on much, the Italian pantry is typically filled with a small quantity of fresh, high-quality food.

Sounds about right to me.

Each town is also pretty self-preserved. In fact, every time we visited a new village, we saw the same repeat of stores. Every town had a butcher, a fish market, a general store that was filled with fruits and vegetables, and then a handful of restaurants and tourist hot spots.